


the rush

by justlikeswitchblades



Series: SASO 2017 [1]
Category: ALL OUT!! - Amase Shiori (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Intimacy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 03:16:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11304594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justlikeswitchblades/pseuds/justlikeswitchblades
Summary: “So you're interested in joining the rugby team, huh?”Gion blinks.“Is that what this is called?”(gion goes to keijou)





	the rush

**Author's Note:**

> saso br1 [prompt](https://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/21522.html?thread=10330386#cmt10330386) where gion goes to keijou and miyuki inspires him to play

There's one thing about high school that Gion isn't sure if he loves it or hates it, and that's the fact that all the athletic clubs he expresses even vague interest in don't turn him away from the start. 

The attention is nice, no doubt. But sometimes he can't decide whether the enthusiasm from the basketball recruiter a foot taller from him is genuine or if he's the unknowing receiver of the world’s cruelest short joke. Baseball would just be punning on his height even if he isn't placed at his destined position. He could just join cross country; there doesn't seem to be much of a team dynamic for him to uphold there, but if he's just outpaced in sprints by guys with longer legs and never wins, well. What's the point of that?

He could just keep jogging the usual route around his neighborhood, join the local gym so he could lift some weights after school. He's not trying to count himself out because of his height, but after all, this is high school. This is when people get serious about these things. But even if that's the case, he can just feel himself itching to try something new. 

So he wanders around the school in the afternoon. There's soccer, and there's American football, and then he walks into a group of guys who look like they're playing American football without pads, and holy shit. That's super cool.

“Hey!” A dark-haired guy smiles and waves at Gion from where he's got his face pressed up against the chain link fence. “Come on in!”

Gion walks around to the entrance, taking a step onto the grass. It looks like there's a group of guys taking part in a multi-man wrestling match on one half of the field; on the other half, four of them run together in a line, passing to each other, the next group queued up a few yards behind them. The guy that had waved at Gion jogs up to him, almond shaped ball in his hands. 

“So you're interested in joining the rugby team, huh?”

Gion blinks.

“Is that what this is called?” The boy laughs.

“I know it's not the most popular sport in Japan. If you want, you could go grab your gym clothes, but it might be easier for you to just watch today.” Gion nods, noting the white lines of paint as he lowers his bag to the grass. The boy starts to jog back out onto the field, then stops, turning on his heel.

“Hey, what's your name?”

“Oh, it's Gion.”

“I'm Miyuki Atsushi,” The boy smiles back. “It's nice to meet you.”

Gion sheds his uniform jacket, the early spring air a touch warmer than it tends to be at this time of the year. He sits about halfway down the field, so he can look at both groups easily. They're both fascinating, both loud; he's amazed at the sheer number of players on the field, not to mention the variety of body types he sees among them. Some of the guys are barely taller than him; others are fatter, skinnier. He finds himself drawn to the second group in particular, how Miyuki tosses the ball out to the line, the ball spinning in the long arc of a pass, gracefully skipping between hands like a rock yet to break a pond’s surface.

Miyuki breaks off from the group again about fifteen minutes later, jogging back to Gion on the sidelines. He grins, sitting down beside him. 

“Haven't bored you yet with drills, have we?”

Gion watches a slender guy lean down and barrel into his larger teammate, knocking him to the ground. He shakes his head, voice softened with awe. “Hell no.”

“Great!” Miyuki shoots up again, popping the ball into Gion’s lap with the toe of his cleat. “Let’s play catch.”

Gion stands up, testing the weight of the ball in his hands. It's light, but firm to the touch; it offers no give when he tries to squeeze it. He lifts the ball above his shoulder, preparing to throw, and Miyuki laughs, rushing in to stop him. 

“Hey, weren't you watching? This isn't football,” His hands are warm and rough on Gion’s as he takes the ball out of his hands.

“First off, it's more like an underhand throw, “ Miyuki tells him, holding the ball in both hands at the center of his chest. “And you start out lower, like this. You pull back, then you swing through, and--”

He releases the ball, and it sails toward Gion, bumping into his chest and falling to the ground before Gion thinks about reacting with a catch. Gion picks up the ball and imitates Miyuki’s actions, sending the ball back towards him. It goes higher up into the up, falling a little short, but Miyuki jogs up, pimpled leather hitting his palms with a satisfying clap.  
“Not bad!” Miyuki tucks the ball between his knees. “Put your thumbs and forefingers together in a triangle, like this. Now, pull your hands apart a little, and--good!”

He tosses the ball to Gion again; it lands right in the space between his hands, and he can’t help grinning.

“I have a question, and don’t bullshit me, okay?” Gion pauses, concentrating on his throw back to Miyuki before resuming speaking. “Can a guy my height really play rugby?”

“Hey, I’m not that much taller than you,” Miyuki laughs a little, catching the ball then walking back in closer to Gion. “But, yeah. Height can help you out in some positions, but it’s also a sport where we need guys closer to the ground.”

“Okay then,” Gion frowns and crosses his arms; his heart jumps a little, but he’s not one-hundred percent ready to believe Miyuki. “What position would I play?”

“Well, that depends,” Miyuki taps his fingers on the ball, eyebrows drawing together as he thinks. “Even if you have good pushing power, we’d probably put you with the backs, since we don’t want to have a lopsided scrum. Maybe wing, if you run fast; it might be easy for you to avoid tackles if you get a breakaway. Then again, even if your arms are short, speed could also make up for that at fullback…”

“Uh. I don’t think I understood most of that.”

“That’s fine,” Miyuki laughs, teeth sparkling in the fading sunlight. “I can teach you, if you want to come back the day after tomorrow.”

Gion glances at the ball in Miyuki’s hands, looks back up at him. He grins back.

“I think I do.”

“Great! Do you have your phone on you?”

Gion walks back to his bag, and Miyuki follows. They trade objects between hands, a ball for a phone, and Miyuki slides the lockscreen open, starting to type not so shortly after.

“A list of things you’ll need,” He explains, handing Gion’s phone back. “We have uniforms for games, but they’re white, so there’s no point in practicing in them when we’re out here so often. Any old workout t-shirt will do. You’ll need to buy rugby shorts and socks; that site has pretty affordable overnight shipping. Don’t wash your shorts, it’ll ruin the fabric. You can also buy a mouthguard there, and you'll need to boil it to make it fit your mouth, but that's a lot simpler than it sounds. You’ll probably want to buy spandex from UnderArmor or Nike or somewhere, too. As for cleats, soccer ones will do. Just don’t get any with metal, or a toe spike. And that’s my number, in case you have any questions.”

“Uh, okay,” Gion manages, his mind spinning. “So...come here after school on Thursday?”

“Yeah! Well, actually,” Miyuki jerks his thumb towards the gray building to his right. “The locker room is over there.”

\---

Gion is used to small sizes hanging a little loose on him, but the spandex hugs his thighs; the waistband of his stiff shorts is snug on him. It's a foreign feeling, but not a bad one, offset by the fact that this is his first official practice. The other guys on the team have taken notice of him now, introducing themselves and asking his name. There's was a part of him that still had doubts, buyer's remorse after doing the necessary shopping online, but now he's becoming a believer. There's just one more thing he needs to accomplish to truly have faith.

“Miyuki?”

“What's up?”

Gion points at a duo across the field, watching one knock the other to the ground. “I want to do that.”

“I sure hope so,” Miyuki grins. “You wouldn't be much of a rugby player if you didn't want to tackle. You have your mouthguard, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool.”

Miyuki calls to Tanashi, and the two stand within arm's length of each other. He pops his mouthguard, talking louder, but still clear enough to understand.

“If you're going down, you're going to want to fall on your knees first, then your shoulder, so your head doesn't take the brunt of impact. Scrum caps help prevent scrapes, but not concussions, so it's up to you to keep that in mind.” Miyuki demonstrates this by holding the ball to his chest, falling slowly in that order. 

“Hold the ball tight when you fall; if you don't, your team could lose possession. When you're on the ground, set the ball down firmly and use your hands to protect your neck and head.” He stands up again, and hands the ball to Tanashi.

“When you're going in for a tackle, you're going to want to get down low. Wrapping your arms around someone’s thighs is the best way to bring a guy down; both arms, and you better squeeze tight. Don't forget to put your head on the outside of his thigh, like this.”

Gion cough-laughs in his throat. “That close?”

Miyuki shrugs and grins. “Might be awkward at first, but it makes for a nice pillow. Tackles above the collarbone are illegal, and it's easier to stop a guy the lower you go. Ankle tackles are pretty much guaranteed to knock someone over, but they should be reserved for emergency situations; I don't want you getting your jaw dislocated. Same goes for taking a kneecap to the nose.”

He walks back a few paces, then jogs forward, Tanahi falling over as he executes the tackle in slow motion. Miyuki stands back up, jogs back further, then sprints at him, knocking him over in real time; Gion is tempted to wince as he watches.

“Stand back up after the tackle,” Miyuki exhales as he pops up. “As for why, well, we'll get to rucking later. Try falling down for now.”

Gion falls, and Miyuki smiles in approval.

“Good!” When Gion stands up, he leans down, arms cinching Gion’s thighs with his spine almost parallel to the ground. Even though he's standing still, Gion still loses his footing, grabbing at Miyuki as he stumbles, and Miyuki lets go. 

“See? It's not easy. Try me now.”

Gion presses his cheek to Miyuki’s thigh, wrapping his arms around his legs. 

“Lower, tighter--shit!” Miyuki laughs, flailing his arms for balance, and Gion lets go. “See? It's not that hard. Let's do it slowly now.” Gion jogs at Miyuki, tackling him with a loose grip, and Miyuki topples over easily in his arms. 

“Alright. You want to try it for real now?” Gion nods, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“Okay. Don't slow down when you get close; if anything, speed up, because a guy will try to run through you during a game.”

Gion nods, letting Miyuki’s words sink in as he walks back. He takes a moment to breathe, then starts to jog, lowering his head and speeding up into a sprint. Miyuki is solid for a second when Gion hits him, but then Gion kicks at the grass, shifting his arms lower, and Miyuki falls for real this time, becoming a weight beneath him. 

“Holy shit,” Gion murmurs when he stands up, shaking his head a little, not so much dazed as he is awed by what he's done. 

“Great job!” Miyuki grins. “That was really good for your first try.”

“Can you tackle me now?” Gion grins back. “I wanna know what it feels like!”

“Alright, but don't think that being new means I'll go easy on you.

“Don't think me being new means I want you to.”

Miyuki runs a hand through his hair, shakes his head with a laugh. There’s a gleam in his eye as he walks himself back, and Gion feels his heart rise into his throat as he watches Miyuki rush him. Miyuki grabs him, and he’s hit with a massive force, a force that feels heavier than the body that holds it, though for the moment he’s airborne, he feels _weightless._. And later, after practice, Miyuki touches his thighs some more, hands rough from tossing and catching balls and lifting weights for the past few years. And Gion touches him back, body sore and aching but feeling very much alive.

\---

“Hey, Miyuki. What was playing rugby like in middle school?”

“It was still pretty intense. I know my mom didn't want me to do it,” Miyuki laughs. “But I loved it just as much as I do now. I played with a really great team.”

“Tell me about them?”

“Two of them are at Jinko now, both forwards. Despite the violence people see in the sport, Hachiouji is a real positive force on and off the pitch; he's a great teammate. And Sumi--Iwashimizu is just _amazing._ I mean, the guy’s stiff-arm is so brutal he injured _me_ with it! It's hard to stay mad at someone for that, though, y’know? Accidents happen, but it also means he's serious about the game.”

Gion nods. “So I guess you're looking forward to the rematch?”

Miyuki grins. “I can't wait.”

\---

“Hey, Hachi. Isn't Sumiaki playing?”

If Gion hadn't been clued in, he probably would've missed it in the midst of sizing up all the players in red and black. But he finds it hard to pry himself away from Miyuki in the first place; playing among the backs helps justify that.

“We got him to join the team, but,” The friendly-looking guy sighs. “He doesn't want to start, or even practice that much. He keeps saying stuff about your shoulder, you know.”

“But I healed up; I'm good.”

“You know how he gets…”

“Hey.” Gion sets his jaw, edging his way into the conversation. “Which guy is this?”

“Oh, the blond one, by the fence.”

“Gion, don't do anything stupid--”

But Gion is already marching off, Miyuki’s words merely echoes in his ears. This guy looks practically like a model, though he can't say the way he's hugging himself and wringing his hands echoes the same kind of confidence.

“Hey. You Iwashimizu?”

“Yeah,” The guy jumps a little, blond locks falling in his eyes. “That's me.”

“What are you, some kind of fucking tree?”

“Uh,” Iwashimizu backs away a little, holding his hands up, placating. “Listen, I don't want to fight--”

“Neither do I,” Gion crosses his arms. “I just want to play rugby.”

Iwashimizu takes a shaky breath, exhales. He lowers his eyes. 

“And if you don't want to do that, well--what makes you think you're even worthy of standing on the sidelines?”


End file.
